Strength
by Tiggabear
Summary: Hinamori is faced with overcoming her love for traitor former squad captain Aizen Sosuke. When he's replaced with Ichigo, she finds that she can learn alot from him. He in turn, could stand to learn a few things from her.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Strength

Rating: M (For Later Chapters)

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Ownership belongs to Tite Kubo. I'm just borrowing.

Author's Note: This is the very mult-chapter fic I'm ever writing under Bleach. Hopefully I don't do too bad of a job, but this was just something I wanted to explore. In either case, I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter One

In the wake of the night, Momo Hinamori found herself in a cold sweat. Her breathing was labored, as she let the remnants of her nightmare to wash away from her. It had been years. It was years since the man she admired and loved plunged his zanpakuto into her chest. It was years since she found herself, her mind and her heart trying to pick up pieces of a glass vase that had fallen and broken. It was years since she came to the realization that she was trying to fix a broken vase that never was. The broken vase that was Aizen Sosuke and the evil that died with him.

Momo thought back, as she often did, of the first time she saw him. It was almost as if cupid had pierced her heart when she laid eyes on him, with his boyish good looks, and unmistakable charm. It was those qualities to her that were the bait, but his generosity and kind hearted ways was the hook that reeled her in, and promised to hold her captive. Her heart ached all the time in embarrassment and in shame of the things she'd done for the man. She'd had yet to sit down and speak to her childhood friend about the matter. She knew that she hurt him more than words could say, and it was all she could do not to throw herself at his feet and beg his forgiveness. She could all but feel the ice encase itself around her heart whenever they crossed paths. The prodigy himself looked wouldn't even spare her a glance, so much was his anger towards her.

Hitsugaya was the only one who actively displayed his anger towards the older woman. While everybody had their opinions on how she felt about the traitor of a man, Toshiro was hurt the most.

"Oh, how I wish you'd forgive me Shiro-chan."

Momo listened to her whispers die in the dark, much like how she knew they would fall on deaf ears if she'd said the same thing out loud to the man himself. More than anything, she wanted their friendship to be what it once was. He was her protector for as long as she could remember, back to their days in Rukongai. When there were boys who wanted to make her life miserable, Toshiro was the one to defend her. And the last time he defended her honor, he almost lost his life. She was sick to hear that while her sanity was in question, she begged him to save Aizen from Ichimaru. How could she?

Sighing at the thought, she slipped out of her bed and walked to the small window in her room that allowed a little bit of moonlight to seep through, and stared out into the night. She thought of the sessions she had three times a week with Unohana, her mind running through one conversation they had, weeks ago.

"_How are you feeling today, Lieutenant?"_

"_I'm feeling fine, I guess. I mean, I can't say I'll ever get over this, but I've come to fully accept what has happened. I've come to accept that Aizen is a traitor of Soul Society."_

_There was silence for a moment. Hinamori wondered if that meant she should continue on. She was the kind of individual that felt she should fill in awkward silences. _

"_I see." Unohana said, her tone soft and serene as was her face, "I believe that you are medically sane for awhile now. I also believe that you've accepted everything that has happened as of late. But I do not believe that you are completely healed emotionally from the pain that Aizen has caused you. Were you romantically involved with him in any way?"_

_Hinamori found that she couldn't speak. Not that she was romantically involved with him, but they'd been intimate. Intimate in the way that she was able to visit him whenever she chose if she needed to. Intimate as far as her heart was concerned. As far as what the Captain of the Fourth squad was suggesting, there'd been no sexual relations between the two. _

"_No. There was no romance. I just loved him that's all. I loved him too much. I was willing to kill my very best friend over him. I…lost my mind, and he might never forgive me._"

"_Forgiveness comes in time." Unohana said, "You can't beat yourself up over everything that has happened. You weren't the only one hurt by Aizen's actions. There are others who are confused and hurt all the same. It's that you reacted to it differently than other people had, considering what happened to you. You have to forgive yourself first before you can seek forgiveness from others."_

A tear trailed out of her eye as she thought of that very concept and wondered how could she begin to forgive herself for mistakes that she'd made? She wasn't by far the worst human being alive, but she indeed felt like it.

Sighing, she retreated back to her bed, retreated back to the loneliness. The tears streaked down her face as she again slipped into emotional withdrawal. Unohana had told her during that same meeting that every scar took would heal on it's on time. Some would heal in not time. Some would take much longer to pass on. Momo was fine with that. Besides, she was only human. However, the crying at night only made her so weak. The emotions swirling inside of her made her feel weak. It was all she could not to break down and sob. Silent tears made it's path downwards her face until she slipped again into a dark abyss.

Ichigo Kurosaki stood before the soutaicho of the thirteen court guard squads as they performed his initiation as the newest Captain of the Fifth Squad. Outward, his stoic appearance led everyone to believe that he was only withstanding the ceremony for form. Anyone who would've guessed that the youth was irritated and impatient with the entire process would be correct. He felt that he should've been readily accepted since he killed Aizen and the law does state that he can become a Captain by killing the former candidate. He tried to get that across to Yamamoto on more than one occasion, but the older man also enforced the other part of the law by stating that he hadn't killed Aizen in a setting with two hundred witnesses. Yamamoto also stressed that Aizen was no longer a captain of Soul Society. Ichigo killed a traitor, and not a seated officer of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. The fact that the old man had pretty much exhausted every argument he had left pretty much winded the young man.

So, going the other route, Ichigo had garnered the six recommendations, and the three approvals from his fellow captains. It seemed to be a waste of time, but an even bigger waste of time would've been fighting with Yamamoto to just give him the damn white haori. Besides, if he figured out how much of his days would be consumed with paperwork, he was pretty sure he would've turned down the position.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, Captain of Squad Five. You are expected to withhold Soul Society's laws and enforce them each to its fullest extent. Do you accept this responsibility and promise to uphold it so as long as you hold office?"

Ichigo nodded solemnly, and answered, "I do."

"Then I hereby in state you from this moment forward."

Yamamoto presented him with his own haori, sleeveless as was the protocol for a younger captain. Turning forward towards the company of his fellow captains, he bowed as they bowed in return, showing respect. Moments later, they all dispatched, signifying the end of Ichigo's initiation.

"About damn time." He muttered, walking amongst his peers.

It was weird to say that some of these people were considered his own peers. He was but sixteen years of age, and he was apart of an army that basically saved souls. He smirked as he thought of the one person responsible for it all, and wondered how she was doing under the pressures of planning out a wedding. Especially when her chosen partner was causing all sorts of trouble for simple fact that he wasn't a noble. Ichigo almost snorted at the thought. Renji and noble was an oxymoron to say the least. Hell, the man himself was a moron. He found it funny that it took him so much time to admit that he loved the raven haired beauty. Ichigo could understand why. Holding feelings for Rukia himself at one point, he could understand.

Rukia was many things, and one of them was that she could be very abrasive. Although Renji himself was no poet, even he could buckle. It was hard not to fall in love however. She was an individual to be admired. But, the fact of the matter was that she wasn't for him. Even if it'd taken him years to admit his own feelings, he still beat Ichigo to the chase. That was what mattered.

"Brother Captain!"

Ichigo turned around to see none other than the colorful Captain of the Squad Eight almost gliding over towards him. Ichigo smirked as she seized the guy up, wondering what he had in mind.

"Yeah?" he questioned,

"I just wanted to extend my congratulations. We are having a party in my division tonight, in your honor. Will you not grace us with an appearance?"

Ichigo normally wasn't a party goer, but he couldn't see himself turning down the older man. He didn't know what the reason was, but he felt it would be terribly impolite to do so.

"Sure."

"You won't be disappointed, I promise." Shunsui continued, "Why don't you try it on for size?"

He pointed at the jacket, and Ichigo looked down, still somewhat unsure of whether he was ready to try it on yet. It was attractive, the prospect of being a Captain. But when the reality weighed him, he suddenly felt heavy. What if he couldn't hack it? What if he failed?

_Why are you afraid? _

It was Zangetsu piercing his thoughts, with a question that held plenty of conviction. The question did hold so much meaning. It was normal for him though, to always go through a period of fear when it came to a new threshold of his life. You would think he'd be over it as much as he'd gone through, but there were moments every now and then that grabbed him by the neck, leaving him gasping for air.

Ichigo slid on the Captain's coat, watching as it fit him as if it'd been missing from his shinigami uniform. He looked up to see both Kyoraku and Ukitake grinning with pride.

"Kurosaki Taicho. How does that sound?"

"A little weird. I may or may not get used to it honestly."

"You will. I was a little nervous myself." Ukitake said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "All you can do is be yourself and lead your company the best you can. You'll do fine."

Ichigo nodded, "It's all I can do. Now, where can I get something to eat? I'm starvin'."

The three men walked off companionably, speaking of nothing of any importance. Ichigo sighed, feeling the weight of his responsibility roll off of his shoulders. He had led a war that had taken out the world's worst enemy by far. He could definitely run Squad Five with no problems. Matter of fact, it was no sweat.

A little short perhaps? I'm just getting my feet wet with this, so I hope I didn't suck too badly. Any thoughts? Ideas? Let me know. Until later.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Momo wasn't sure what she was even doing at the party in the first place. One moment she was in her room, brushing her hair, and the next thing she knew, Matsumoto burst into her quarters, along with Nanao and Isane. She wasn't sure what the three women wanted with her life as she had just left her work quarters, and all she wished to do was relax in solitude…probably with a good book.

"Oi! Momo!"

Momo looked up to see the one-show woman that was Rangiku, bouncing with what could only be unstable energy. Whether it was from sake, or from the woman herself she wasn't sure.

"Nani, Matsumoto-san." She started, "What's this about?"

"There's a party in the Eighth division tonight!"

Momo grimaced, "So, go, and enjoy yourself. I'll just be home…"

"Why pray tell did you think you would be home?" Rangiku said, as she walked towards Momo's room, and pulled out several kimono's for her to wear. Momo sighed. It was like this ever since she'd regain an ounce of her insanity. Even when insane, she would wish for a fairy of some kind to whisk Matsumoto away.

"I don't know why I ever thought such a thing." Momo mumbled, and cast a glance at Nanao, who lifted up both of her hands.

"I tried to get out of it myself, but when you're subordinate to a drunkard, and your closest friend is a drunkard, you have no choice but to tag along. So you have to grin and bear it like I do."

"You hardly grin Ise-chan." Momo said, a small smile tugging her own lips. The day she saw Nanao burst out into a grin was the day the whole of Seiretei proclaimed her a sex-siren.

"You understand the sentiment Peach princess. Now get dressed."

Momo looked over towards Isane, her face shining with hopefulness, "I suppose you won't help me skip this time would you Kotetsu-san?"

Isane shook her head in the negative. The vice captain felt like her fellow officer should have as much fun as she could. She could sense the sadness radiating off of the young beauty's body. The last thing Momo needed to do was sit in her quarters and wither away like an old woman. She was very aware that Aizen had been the object of her affections, and she felt it was time for Momo to pack up ship and move on. It wasn't attractive for a woman such as her to wither away for a man who wasn't worth it.

"Get dressed Momo. You're going to party and you're going to enjoy yourself. Besides, this is the time of year that the new recruits come in! Live a little and show these young ones a thing or two!"

Rangiku bounced until she fell out, but caught herself just in time. Momo chuckled a little bit at the scene, but pouted just a little for effect. Maybe if she played on the cuteness that hadn't really ebbed away too much, Matsumoto would leave. Sadly enough, the older woman wouldn't be played.

"Not going to work Hinamori. I'm the end all and be all of playing the cuteness card. You're going. End of discussion."

So, donning a pink and black kimono, Momo found herself being dragged to the party. She made sure to stand afar off, where she wouldn't be caught by any of the three women who dragged her out to party. The last thing she wanted to do was dance. She just wanted to stay long enough to say she attended the party without being rude to her superior officer and then go home and fall into a dreamless sleep. Momo couldn't say she was really too happy about having been dragged out in the first place.

She watched the festivities and picked up on a few things she found rather curious. She was surprised to have seen Unohana there, cuddled with Zaraki Kenpachi in a corner. The serene beauty let her hair down, wearing a light blue kimono of her own. Momo never truly realized how beautiful the Forth Squad's Captain really was. Especially in the arms of the violent loving, anti hero of Soul Society himself. Nobody seemed to find the display out of order with life, except for her. She then asked herself just how much was going on while she was comatose.

Momo continued to watch as Kyoraku stole a kiss from Nanao, who blushed, but hadn't pushed the flamboyant man away. She had to admit to herself that she envied Nanao her partner. A man who could love a woman unconditionally and so completely was something she wanted. The couple was opposite each other but she wouldn't deem them polar opposites. Not in the least. Momo thought of them as the missing piece to each other's puzzle. There was a time she'd thought Aizen was her missing piece. She was sadly mistaken.

Pushing the morbid thought aside, she accepted a glass from a member of the eighth division with a soft smile. She turned to find an exit so that she could share a drink in quiet when she bumped dead on into somebody, almost hitting the floor.

"I'm terribly sorry!" she exclaimed, gathering her bearings to see who she should be addressing. When she found it was her own Captain, she blushed a bright crimson.

"Taicho! My apologizes."

Ichigo chuckled nervously, "Actually I should be saying I'm sorry to you. I wasn't watching my step."

Momo blanked, "You did? I don't think I was watching my step either. I was about to retire for the night."

"So early?" Ichigo questioned, "What for? It's my party…it would kind of suck for my fukutaicho to leave so early."

"I know." She shuffled, "I'm kind of tired though."

"Yeah, I am too. I have to stick this out because Shunsui went through all the trouble. Could you at least spare me a dance to make it seem like I'm really having fun?"

Momo smiled unconsciously, stuck between a rock and a hard place. She knew she wouldn't mind dancing with the famous Captain, except she wanted nothing more but to run home. However, it couldn't hurt to appease the boy, whose presence made her forget his age as in comparison to hers.

"Sure."

Ichigo gathered his subordinate in his arms, putting space between them. He found himself looking into her eyes, and even though many would call him thick headed and stupid, and found that he couldn't ignore the reservation and even more deeply the pain that lied there. His mind wandered into questioning who could ever put pain into eyes such as hers. From what he knew of Hinamori, apart from the usual comments of how Aizen drove her insane, she was a very sweet person who had 

a passion for life. It almost angered him that such a sweet innocent being was manipulated the way she was.

"How are you taking Captaincy so far Kurosaki-Taicho?" Momo asked, breaking his train of thought. The train that was reeling on a track about how pretty her hair glistened in the light.

"It's alright I guess." He answered, "I'm not used to all of this bureaucratic stuff, but it's going so far. I got a party out of the deal so I can't complain that much."

Momo giggled. She didn't know why being that what he said wasn't supposed to be funny. She wondered if it was how he was speaking as opposed to what he said. His tone was so aloof.

"I see. I have to say I'm glad you were up for the job. I don't believe that I could stand that much pressure on a regular basis. Being second in command is enough for me."

Ichigo almost snarled, "You never really know what you could accomplish if you're afraid."

"That's true Taicho." Momo said, "I'm still satisfied-"

"-Please, at least for tonight, just call me Kurosaki."

"Only for tonight." Momo agreed, "By morning you'll have to start getting used to it. You have to get used to it from everybody else, and you'll get tired of correcting everybody too."

"Since we'll be working side by side, you'll have to lay off the Taicho stuff. I can't take it for eight hours in a day, everyday."

"I'll try my best Kurosaki-san."

Because Momo said the sentiment with a smile on her face, Ichigo found himself grinning as well. The two danced, not realizing how much time left the two while the music filled the room. Oddly enough, neither would admit it, but they had found enjoyment in each other for the next hour. Their mutual enjoyment of each other didn't go unnoticed either.

Rangiku, who had been enthralled in the teal eyes of her own Captain noticed the exchange and quirked her eyebrow. Looking up towards the stone faced leader of the Tenth-that's right, up-she gave him a saucy grin.

"Ne, Taicho."

"Nani Matsumoto?" he replied, wondering why he was even present at the get together in the first place. He then remembered Matsumoto threatening to hug him and squeeze him and love him if he hadn't shown up. It was then he wondered if he could find a way to tie her down so she'd get an ounce of paperwork done.

"Do you spy Kurosaki and Hinamori getting cozy? Just look at them!"

"Feh. Hinamori is dead to me." Toshiro spat, anger suddenly radiating off of the younger shinigami.

"How could you say that Captain?" Rangiku asked, taken aback by his answer,

"You know why. I will not explain a matter that is dead to me as well."

Rangiku raised an eyebrow, "I see. So, because she was tricked into believing something so strongly that she almost killed you, you're still upset even after three years?"

Toshiro said nothing. "Leave me alone Matsumoto."

Rangiku said nothing more, which shocked the child prodigy. Usually when she wanted to know something, she would push at the person until she accomplished her goal. Being that she said nothing, he wondered why she left well enough to be well enough.

"_Maybe she's playing mind games on me. I will not utter another word._"

Rangiku had many things to address Hitsugaya about, but she felt like for once, this wasn't the time or the place. She obviously saw that he was still very much upset about Momo's actions so long ago. He had gone out of his way to protect his childhood friend, and he felt very much betrayed. While Rangiku understood his anger, she felt that he was holding on to his anger for far too long. She saw that both Momo and Toshiro were hurt about the things that happened between them. She wished that they would call it a mistake and keep moving on with life. It was obvious that no progress would be made until Toshiro would forgive her.

Toshiro watched Matsumoto walk away without another word, and caught himself entranced, yet again. He was glad that she didn't turn around because he couldn't have hid the look of desire in his face at all. His feelings for his subordinate was tangled in a web he couldn't get himself free from. His sense of duty was killing him inside not to fall into his whims. The last thing he wanted were women squeezing the life out of him even more. While Hinamori pretty much hurt his heart in one way, there was no telling what Matsumoto could do given the chance. He'd give no woman the power to hurt him ever again. That was a promise he made ever since Hinamori whisper those words desperately to him.

"_Save Aizen Taicho please. I beg of you…if you're really my friend you'll do it Shiro-chan. Save him._"

No, he thought to himself. It wasn't happening to him ever again.

--

With the moonlight being Soul Society's beacon for the night hours, Momo and Ichigo walked the paths, talking and laughing over various things.

"Are you sure we weren't being rude for leaving so early?" Momo asked, "The party is nowhere near winding down yet."

"Well, a toast was made to me. I made a toast, and more than half of everyone there is drunk, or very close." Ichigo said, "I believe we left just in time. A lot of the squad is going to be in poor form tomorrow anyway."

Momo nodded, "I guess you're right. I didn't really want to be there anyway. I was forced to come by Rangiku."

Ichigo chuckled, "Forced huh? You had no fun with me at all then?"

The two walked through the fifth squad gates, as Momo almost choked, trying to convince the orange haired boy otherwise.

"No! I did. Honestly, if you hadn't bumped into me, I wouldn't found a way to sneak out earlier."

"Well, I'm glad you did." Ichigo said, a ghost of a grin on his face.

They walked through the barracks until they reached Momo's own. Standing in the moonlight, for the first time staring at each other since then they felt the awkwardness of the situation. How were they to go about saying goodnight to the other? And why did it matter simply how they parted ways? Neither of them knew it, but both parties were asking the same questions.

"Uhm…arigato Kurosaki-kun. Congratulations on your Captaincy." Momo said, smiling good naturedly at him, remembering what the party was about in the first place.

"You're welcome Hinamori. Goodnight."

Awkwardly, he smiled, and then took to being on his way. Momo slid open the fusuma, stepped in and closed it back. She let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding in. Shaking her head at herself, she began to undress and ready herself to bed. She thought of the fact that Ichigo Kurosaki wasn't as mean as rumors had stated. That she was glad for. He also wasn't as sweet as Aizen had been. That she was also grateful for.

The thing that concerned her-just a little she told herself-was that she enjoyed being in his presence. That was something he and Aizen shared in common. It was so much so that she wondered if she was taking a liking to him. She hoped for her sake that she wasn't. The last thing Hinamori Momo needed in this lifetime or the next was someone hurting her again. For the first time in awhile she'd taken an actual liking to someone. It wasn't that she didn't like anybody else in Soul Society, but the truth of it was that for the first time in years, she enjoyed somebody else's company. And, oddly enough, the person was her commander. She didn't need Aizen part two, when the goal was to get over Aizen. Besides, getting her head twisted up with thoughts of a pair of golden brown eyes and bright orange hair was the last thing she needed to do. That was just plain stupid, and she knew it.

Of course, she would never admit to herself that he was on her mind as she fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Ichigo walked through the rows of his subordinates, snapping commands left and right. Momo was doing the same, though with not as much heat as her commanding officer. She was fixing the form of some of the new recruits, and semi barking orders to the older soldiers to work harder. It wasn't really her style to yell and bark out orders, but the squad needed to be shaped up and ready to go. It would soon be their turn to head out to the living world and patrol for Hollow activity, and the truth of the matter was that the Fifth Squad was really slacking off. It was almost as if they were bad as the Eighth, but even the Eighth had the no nonsense Ise to keep them in check. The fifth was looking pretty horrible in any case, and that mistake needed to be rectified.

"Mamoru!" Momo snapped, "The horse stance isn't lazy!"

Momo moved to straighten his posture, when the young shinigami pushed her away, almost making the second seat fall flat on her bottom. She stood, and brushed herself off.

"Don't touch me! The last thing I need is advice from a weak woman who went insane. You might fall in love with me too."

Momo went silent, taken aback by the words of the young man. It wasn't in her nature to fight for herself, so she tried to walk away without a fight.

A second man cut in, "Yeah, she might kill herself. What's wrong fukutaicho, you don't get much sex in your life? Must you need a man so badly?"

She stood her ground, "Get back into position and keep your comments to yourself."

"Make me." The second guy said, making the altercation his, "I don't think you can."

Momo stared at her attacker, and wondered to herself that if her comrades were supposed to be friends, she didn't want to encounter her enemies. She also wondered if she'd be wrong if she put him in a binding spell and pulled down his underwear. It was small of her to think such a thing, and she usually liked to take the high road and smile everything away, but she had to admit being tired of being attacked.

Her thought process proved to be too slow. By the time she figured that ignoring her attacker was the best thing to do, Ichigo had shunpo'd in front of her imposer, his hand cutting off the man's circulation. All present either gasped, or simply looked on in pure shock at what had just occurred.

"Are you retaliating against your superior officer?"

The man found he couldn't speak. He also found that Ichigo was aware of that.

"I know you can't speak. Just blink once for yes, and blink twice for no."

Said man blinked twice. Ichigo immediately let go of the man's throat, and the low ranking officer breathed gratefully welcoming the air back into his lungs. Ichigo stood, his face giving away nothing but what he wanted it to. Oddly enough, in his mind was confusion that one's own officers would heckle their superiors. It was disheartening to say the least. His mind was also in confusion because he found he was angrier than the situation warranted. That was enough to embarrass him but he'd let embarrassment fester in his system later. His adrenaline was too strong at the moment.

"Apologize!"

Almost comically, Momo's attacker bowed and begged for her forgiveness. Before Ichigo could open his mouth again, the soldier fled.

"Kurosaki Taicho, that wasn't necessary!" Momo found herself saying, but caught herself swallowing her words when Ichigo rounded on her, the look on his face making her want to squirm.

"Yes. It damn well was."

Ichigo stomped away, threatening to take on the next available asshole-his actual words-if they didn't move out of his way quick enough. Momo sighed and dismissed the rest of the squad before walking off behind him. She appreciated his gesture. She was also embarrassed from it.

"Kurosaki Taicho!"

"Hinamori."

"I appreciate what you've done for me. But that was a little much."

"Was it? You stood there and did nothing Hinamori. And whether you know it or not, it's not in my nature to watch someone I give more than a shit about get pushed around. It's never been me, so unless you handle the situation yourself, don't expect me to just stand there and watch."

Momo sighed. She saw from the young man's face that it wasn't going an argument she was going to win. So, this time she would let him win.

"Hai Kurosaki Taicho. I understand." She bowed, before taking her leave. He growled a little at the fact that she addressed him formally again, but decided to let it pass. There were many other things on her mind. He wondered if he'd have a moment to think them over, or if he would actually have the courage to think them over in the first place.

The fact of the matter was that he was normally the person to play rescuer, but not as viciously as he had. He didn't know why, but to see the man speak to Hinamori that way had put a bitter taste in his mouth. He could justify his actions easily without blinking an eye. The man had been insubordinate. That was reason enough to have garnered a reprimand.

Before he could think further, Renji made his presence known, the literally red headed lieutenant of the sixth stepping inside of the office. Ichigo sighed, wondering why he couldn't go a day without Renji stopping by to be an annoyance to his life.

"What the hell do you want?" Ichigo scoffed, starting the damnable paperwork,

"Kurosaki. I need to ask you something."

"Well, spill it." He said, pausing to look up at Renji,

"Well, first off, Yamamoto made a personal appearance at my office earlier."

"And?"

"He wants me to become Captain of the Third." He said,

"So…"

"I told him I would think about it." Renji answered, "I don't think I'm the best choice…"

"I don't think so either. You're a dickhead."

"Fuck you Kurosaki! You're not well polished yourself."

Ichigo chuckled at their banter. "I don't give a shit about being polished. I'm surprised you do."

"My fiancée is nobility. I normally would say fuck appearances, but I don't want to embarrass her, at least not purposely."

Ichigo sighed. It wasn't everyday he saw the vulnerable side of Renji. At least not the one that cared what exactly Rukia was thinking. Ichigo wondered if it was just Rukia he was trying not to embarrass, or if the elusive captain of the sixth had something to do with it as well.

"Seems to me the last thing you should do is give a damn. Stuffed shirts are just people who sit around to rain on your parade. If you feel capable enough to run a division, then do it. If not tell Yamamoto to get somebody else."

Renji snorted, "You make sense Kurosaki."

"I know that. Now get out."

"No, I have something else to ask."

"What the hell do you want now?" Ichigo questioned, the annoyance ringing loud in his tone,

"I wanted to ask you…will you be my best man?"

If Ichigo been drinking any sort of liquid, he knew he would've spat it out right then in surprise. It was bad enough that he choked on his own saliva.

"Kuso." The curse word came out weakly as he gathered his bearings, "What?!"

"Will you be my best man?" Renji asked slowly, "Stop acting like I proposed marriage to you Kurosaki."

"Asshole. Why would you ask me? I mean, out of all people, why me?"

Renji chuckled, "You saved my fiancée's life. Who _else_ would I ask? Kuchiki Taicho?"

Ichigo smirked, "That would've been a good choice."

"Nah. He doesn't want me marrying his sister. That's insult enough. Besides, I thought it'd amuse him even less if you were present."

Ichigo considered the look on the Captain's face when he saw that he was apart of the fun. Ichigo didn't get as much of a kick of annoying the head of the Kuchiki house as Renji did. Ichigo settled his score with the man awhile back when it came down to Rukia in the first place. After they went their round, Ichigo found the man to be pretty bearable. Once in awhile he'd let the small part of him address the older man by name. Watching the ghost of a twitch in his eye was fun in that case.

"Are you gonna accept or not?" Renji snapped, his tone identical to his friend's,

"Yeah, yeah. I'll take the job. This doesn't mean I have to punch you in the jaw when you get cold feet does it?"

"You might, but I doubt it. The very fear of Rukia punching me in the jaw if I'm not waiting for her to walk down the aisle is scarier."

"If I didn't know Rukia, I would say something was terribly wrong with that sentence."

Renji laughed good-naturedly, and Ichigo grinned, for just a moment. That scowl was back on his face, his thoughts returning to Hinamori, and the fact that she didn't even show the will to beat her own subordinate down for making the remark he had. It bothered him that he cared so much being that it was a dead issue.

"What's got your panties all tied up?" Renji asked,

"It's what's got your panties all up in a bunch asshole."

"Well, you're wearing panties either way, so what's up?"

Ichigo ignored Renji's crack, knowing that both men would be releasing their shikai if they continued their tirade. Knowing he had to put it on somebody's shoulders, he relayed the morning's events to his comrade. Renji sat on his desk, a look of pure interest written all over it. Renji had a theory about Ichigo's troubles in his mind, but knew it wouldn't be wise to blurt it out. However, knowing his nature, he was going to whether the orange haired boy liked it or not.

"So, you beat this guy's ass for speaking to her like that?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"That was pretty smooth. Not even Zaraki Taicho would've beaten a guy's ass that badly, and he itches for a fight."

Ichigo raised his eyebrow, "And that's supposed to mean?"

"You like her, and you subconsciously feel that she's yours."

"What the _fuck_ Renji?" was Ichigo's response, "I don't _like_ her, she's my lieutenant! I just couldn't stand by while she got throttled like that by that guy. She looked so defenseless, and…"

"Okay. Let me get one thing straight to you that you don't know about. Momo is hailed as one of Soul Society's kidou masters. She can pretty much whip your ass without having to physically touch you. Maybe not you, but the majority of us here. If she said nothing to the guy, she pretty much just didn't want to fight. She's been through a lot of shit from Aizen, but honestly, she's not as weak as everyone claims."

"So why didn't she just whip his ass?" Ichigo questioned,

Renji fired back, "Why didn't you just leave the guy alone?"

"I told you, dickhead, I just couldn't stand there and listen to that shit the guy was telling her. It's like if you had heard a guy talking down to Rukia like that…you would've done something about it."

"Justifying it that way brings me back to my point. You like her. You want her. Maybe not desperately, but you have a funny way of showing it. Besides, all of Seireitei is gonna be talking about this anyway. It's bad enough you two danced at the party last night."

Ichigo shrugged. Gossip was the last thing on his mind. The first thing on his mind was kicking Renji out of his office-which he did without ceremony. The next thing on his mind was screaming in his 

own mind that he didn't have a thing for Hinamori. She was a wonderful person, with a sweet temperament. That was something he found wrong. Anyone with a sweet temperament would be tested on regular basis. Whether he liked her or not, that was something that had to change about her. Sweetness made many people take you for a joke, and he didn't want that for her, because that meant he'd probably be hailed as Zaraki Kenpachi's lost relative.

But he saw a problem that was starting to irk his nerve. He could admit that Momo caught his eye. However, he was a man. He was going to look, and he wasn't dead…officially. That didn't speak on his feelings for the girl. Ichigo was the kind of person that couldn't stand by and watch another being be tortured. The man hadn't physically hurt Hinamori, however, his words were very harsh, matter of fact, they'd held some sort of heat in them as if Momo had personally hurt the guy.

His fusuma again opened and it was Momo who had stepped in, looking at the younger boy with a sigh. Ichigo looked up from his desk where he'd been sitting and looked up at her. He watched as she took her seat next to his and started on her paperwork. He decided that he should continue on his own. For some reason, he couldn't go on, finding that Hinamori's silence was louder than even Renji's presence.

Ichigo stood up, and walked in front of Hinamori's desk. She kept scribbling away dutifully, and looking on at the precise way she did her work, Ichigo found that it unnerved him.

"Hinamori." Ichigo said, placing both of his hands on the sides of her desk, "Are you doing this to piss me off?"

"Is it working?" Momo asked, looking up to meet his eyes, a small smile threatening to break open,

"Yes."

"Good. I understand that my sanity will be played on, and I understand that men, even my own men will look at me as the weakest person alive, but I don't have to prove myself to them, do you understand me?"

Her eyes flashed, and it was odd, but Ichigo found himself lost in them. It was a sensation he found funny even while he was going through it. Ignoring his reaction to her outburst, he looked at her and grinned almost wolfishly.

"If you had answered that asshole out there like that, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Be that as it may Taicho, but I don't need protecting. Even if you wanted to defend my honor, it's not the way of the Fifth to send our soldiers to the Fourth on a regular basis."

Ichigo chuckled, "I don't think we're going to agree on this, so let's agree to disagree. You don't like the way I handle things, you beat their ass before I do. Because when I do, they will end up in the Fourth. Understand me?"

Momo looked up at her Captain, a smirk crossing her face. "I'll be sure to remember that."

"Good."

Ichigo took his seat, and looked at the mountain of paperwork in front of him. He cursed once and got to them. He wondered why did the place run this way, and also muttered that he hated his job. He muttered so much that he hadn't noticed when Hinamori left and came back into the room.

"Kurosaki Taicho." She said, softly,

"What?" he snapped, "And will you stop calling me that?"

Momo sighed, and placed a cup of tea on his desk. "This is a blend that should relax you. You should take a break for a moment and drink it."

Ichigo had looked at the cup, thinking that he would down it later, but upon looking at his lieutenant's face, he knew that she was telling him to do so without words. Deciding to go with her suggestion, he picked up the tea and drank it slowly.

"The paperwork can be overwhelming at first, but take it a little bit at a time. I'll finish up whatever you can't, so don't worry about it."

"No, really, I can handle it." Ichigo said,

"I'm sure you can Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo looked over at the woman who continued to do her work, wondering just who she was. Another thing that he would admit, was that he was curious as to who she really was. Hinamori Momo was turning out to be quite the enigma and he found he wanted to get to the bottom of what made her tick. He didn't know why, and quite frankly, he didn't want to explore the reasons. He just did, and that would have to settle for now.

"Feeling better?" she asked, smirking his way,

Finding that he was much more relaxed, he smiled a little bit and looked over at Hinamori who smiled back, seeing that her suggestion worked.

"Yeah. Thanks."

Hinamori nodded, and continued her work. Ichigo grinned and continued as well. The silence seemed to be less daunting, and the young boy took that as a good sign. The first thing he learned was the last thing he wanted was a woman that made silence sound worse than chaotic noise.

It was indeed an awkward start, but both parties were starting to feel that they could make their working relationship work.

Author's Note: Thankies for alll the reviews! I see people are adding the story to the alert list, so I hope you share your thoughts as well. Don't be scared! Also, for the reviewer who asked of the pairings, I have Nanao/Shusui, Toshiro/Rangiku, and the crack pairing of Momo and Ichigo. Just something I wanted to explore really. But yeah.

Also, I'm kind of new to this writing Bleach fanfiction, and although I've watched the show (and read a bunch of fanfictions on this site), I still feel like I don't characterize them exactly, but I hope I get it right as I go along. But yeah, if they're still OOC, let me know. (No flames though, I'm kinda sensitive LoL)

Until next chapter guys.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Rangiku played with the tendrils of her hair as she sat in the Eighth division courtyard with Nanao. She grinned as she looked over at her friend who was quietly digging through her food, her normal expression softened by whatever or whomever she was thinking about.

"Ne, Ise-chan." She said, smirking, "I wanted to ask you something."

"Nani?"

"Was I the only one who saw how close Ichigo and Momo were last night?"

Nanao nodded, "They weren't close enough for any gossip to ensue honestly. It looked like an innocent dance."

"Yeah, but Hinamori was smiling! She hardly ever smiled since that bastard…"

"Understandable. I'm saying that I wouldn't have given any relevance of the two dancing, but they did disappear together."

Rangiku's ears perked up, "Did they?"

"Hai. I'm sure it was innocent but you know how gossip spreads." Nanao said, looking around, "Off the record though, I think Hinamori is attracted to him too."

"I knew it! See? Great minds really do think alike!"

Nanao smirked. She wasn't by far stupid. She saw the look on Hinamori's face while she looked on at the two dancing. She normally wouldn't pay it any attention, except that it was peculiar that Hinamori would allow anyone to dance with her in the first place. Nanao noted that the usually guarded female was open and smiling at Ichigo as if they've danced time and time again. It was sweet to say the least, but she knew of the problems that lied ahead if a union was to be pursued. That of course, she would keep to herself.

"Of course you do when we agree." Nanao said,

"But, I really think that they'd be so cute, and unexpected!"

"Like you and Hitsugaya?"

Rangiku laughed. "I'm working on that, but to everybody it wouldn't be unexpected. I'm not hiding the fact that I'm after him, and the sooner he realizes that he belongs to me, the better everything will be."

Nanao grinned, thinking of the man who had thought just like she had. It had taken him a century, but Kyoraku Shunsui had worn the younger lieutenant down and staked claim on her heart, not that he really had to do the latter in the first place.

"He seemed really tense last night." Nanao commented, "What happened?"

"I pointed out that Kurosaki and Hinamori were rather close." The blonde explained, "And he'd gotten angry at the mention of Hinamori. I left it alone leaving it up for debate later. Romantic interest or not, the issue has grown very old, and whether he knows it or not, they need to get over it."

Nanao nodded, "He's too proud right now. I think you should stay out of it."

"I won't." Rangiku said, "He says he won't speak on a matter that's dead to him, but the truth of it is that it's far from dead to him."

Nanao had no more time to ponder the matter herself, when Shunsui appeared in front of them, his lazy smile upon his face, his eyes centered on Nanao, filled with love and a longing they both had grown used to. Turning them upon Rangiku, his eyes filled with joy for noting his friend near by.

"Why, Rangiku-chan, what brings you here today?" Shunsui said, "Your captain has banned you from drinking sake again?"

Rangiku laughed and watched as Shunsui drew Nanao close to him, and the way Nanao fussed a little for form. She had to admit wanting what the two of them had bought up those same feelings of envy that Hinamori had experienced only a night ago, but she wouldn't go down without a fight. She knew who it was she loved, and the only thing left to do was convince him that he loved her too.

"No, I was just catching up on gossip with my beautiful best friend." Rangiku said, "But now that you have arrived, I will take my leave and report back to work."

"Ah. The good captain doesn't know you've skipped out again?"

"Well, no…but I'll just sneak back in and…"

Just as she was about to disappear, Toshiro appeared in front of her, and almost forced the busty woman to yelp in surprise. She hadn't-and she thanked her lucky stars-but she wished her heart would stop beating hard and fast at the sight of the shorter man in front of her. Granted he was short, but that didn't take away from his attractiveness at all.

"No need to sneak back. I'll just escort you back. Follow me."

Noting that ever present anger in his tone, instead of granting him a flirtatious remark, she looked backwards towards Nanao with a look that spoke volumes. She disappeared a second after, leaving Shunsui's eyebrow raised at the interaction.

"He loves her."

Nanao looked up at him with a quirked eyebrow, "What makes you think such a thing?"

"It's not hard to notice."

"I don't see it."

"That's a first for you." He said, smirking, and pulling his hat low, "He's certainly in love with her, but he's fighting the fact. He was here the whole time she was."

"How did you…never mind. We should be getting back to work Taicho."

Shunsui grabbed her up before she could stand, pulling her flush against his body. His lips were on her neck, and little by little Nanao found herself surrendering to the pleasurable feelings created in her. She sighed, knowing she had again lost.

"Shunsui…"

"Nanao." He said, smirking, "Spend a little time with me. We'll sit and talk. Tell me about the supposed love affair going on in the Fifth."

"I won't speak of anymore gossip for today. Let's talk about something else."

"There isn't much else going on in the Seireitei lately. You have no choice."

Nanao sighed. When you're life partner was a frivolous idiot, and your best friend was a gossip loving drunk herself, you didn't have much say in the matter, or many others for that matter.

--

_She felt the cold metal push through her body. Shock came first. Then pain spread from her heart in two waves. The first, the physical quaked, the blood spilling as it slid down her body as slowly as syrup, it's destination south, east, and west. The second, emotional quaked as it broke her spirit and made her scream. She screamed the name of the man who murdered her. She screamed the question that she wanted answered the most, screaming more when all she could see in answer was his smile. It was gentle, but to look in his eyes she saw emptiness._

Momo jerked awake, breathing quickly and heavily. She wiped the sweat that formed on her brow, throwing the covers from over her naked form. Padding towards the bathroom, she waited as the remnants of the dream escaped her, keeping herself from whimpering in the darkness. She wished that someone was there to hold her and tell her that she was only dreaming. She wished someone was there to hold her period. That's what made her feel pathetic.

Washing her face, she looked at her eyes in the mirror, and wondered why she wasn't beautiful like Rangiku, or why she wasn't as sophisticated as Nanao was. She even wondered how come she didn't seem to be as comfortable in her own skin as Isane. In her eyes she was just so plain, you couldn't get any plainer.

She sighed and then walked out of the bathroom, reaching inside of her closet and donning a uniform. In her mind, taking a walk will clear her mind. If her dreams kept getting any darker, she'd probably go back into insanity, and it wouldn't be because she was in love with a traitor in any case.

Momo stepped out of the cool, crisp air, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She walked, feeling herself become a little more at ease with every second that passed. That was until she walked into something hard.

Falling on her backside, Momo gasped, and looked up to see who had blindsided her this time. When she heard the short curse that let her know that it was again Ichigo, she almost smiled. Why she had the knee jerk reaction to smile whenever she was in his presence, she wasn't sure. It was however, disconcerting for her.

"I apologize Taicho…I wasn't looking where I was going."

Ichigo reached down to help her up without accepting her apology, "I wasn't looking again, and it was quiet. What are you doing up so late though?"

The two of them started walking side by side, the night's calm being their backdrop.

"Nightmare…a very evil nightmare. How about you?"

Ichigo sighed, "Had a dream myself. Wasn't really horrible but…I'm up."

They walked in silence, letting the other's presence be a comfort. Momo sighed, wondering why she felt the need to talk to Ichigo as if they'd known each other for years. She knew the last thing the new Captain needed was the demons from her past riding on his shoulders.

"So, you gonna tell me what's eating at ya, or do I have to beat it out of you?"

Momo looked up at him and her face took on the look of surprise, "Oh no! I can't impose on you. You have your own problems, and you definitely don't need-"

"I don't need you to treat me as if I'm fragile and I don't know what I'm asking for. I've heard rumors. I've heard that you're crazy, but I also know that you can't be all of those things, especially without a reason."

"That's flattering of you, really."

Ichigo laughed, "No. I know you're not crazy. You've just been through some crazy shit."

"Yes, I have been."

They stopped under a tree that had yet to bloom, and sat in the grass. Momo wished there had been a flower present so that she could pick it and smell it. There was some beauty left in the world, even if her world felt like it was constantly dark. Oddly enough her reason for that wasn't because Aizen had left. It was more so because he'd been in it for so long as he had. That was enough to make her start crying right then and there, but she felt she would rather do that in silence.

"So…spill it." He commanded, "What did you dream about?"

Momo looked down at her hands, "I dreamed of the day Aizen left me for dead."

Ichigo looked up, almost startled at what she'd told him. He heard stories, many variations of the story between she and Aizen, but hadn't known what was true and what wasn't. Hearing about the fact that she almost died at his hands was the part he didn't think was true. Seeing that it was made him want to revive Aizen just to kill him all over again. How could someone just turn against their officer like that? Especially one that admired and idolized you and everything you were, at least everything that you were supposed to be. How did you pick up the pieces and moved on when you found out they were false? How did Hinamori do it?

"I didn't know he tried to kill you."

"Yeah. He said he was sorry for everything he put me through. He said I was an excellent subordinate. And then his zanpakuto sliced through me…"

Ichigo sat silent, listening to the horror of her past, while a lone tear slid down her face unchecked. He suppressed the urge he felt to wipe it away.

"…I fell down unconscious. Next thing I know I'm awoke babbling to Toshiro about saving Aizen because I believed that Gin put him up to the entire scheme. Little did I know I was working with evil all along. I admired that man. Even worse, I loved him and I…"

Momo cut herself short when she found she was getting too personal. She didn't know what it was about his presence, but she felt like she could bare all, and that alone scared her. She didn't want to explore the reasons why.

Ichigo looked on at her, wanting to urge her to continue, but knowing she wouldn't. It was hard on him, because he was torn between wanting to know, and not wanting to know. He was confused as to how he cared so much already, granted he hardly knew her past the fact that she was famous for being insane.

"In either case," she continued, "It's over now. I went through a lot, and I just want to pick up the pieces and move on."

Ichigo sighed, "I used to blame my mother's death on me. I dreamed of her tonight…"

Hinamori told him that she didn't know how his mother was killed. Ichigo explained it, remembering the day as if he happened only moments ago. He never understood why it choked him up to this day, but it did. But he was past being mortified about it.

"I blamed myself, after Rukia explained that my spiritual pressure attracted the bastard hollow. My mother jumped in the way of me and was killed."

"You shouldn't." Momo said, reaching out to touch his arm, "It wasn't your fault."

"I try to remind myself that. I'm sure one day I'll get over it. I hope to one day find my mother out there. That's part of the reason I stayed here. I can search for her here."

Momo smiled a little, "I'm sure you'll find her."

"I know I will." Ichigo said, "But my point is…you shouldn't blame yourself."

"I don't know Taicho-"

"-Ichigo." He mumbled, "Stop calling me that."

"Kurosaki-kun. Our situations aren't the same."

"No. It will never be the same. I'm just saying, stop blaming yourself. Aizen is the evil son of a bitch that hurt you. He's dead now. Just move on with your life."

Ichigo stood up, and reached down to grab Momo's hand. She reached up and grabbed him, finding that his hands were rough and calloused, and thinking absently that they were warrior's hands. The same hands that had killed the man she had loved that fateful day. Looking into his face, and the smirk that graced it when he caught her staring, she slightly blushed and let go, standing upright. She yawned, finding sleep ready to claim her again.

"I think I'm ready to retire to bed again."

"Yeah me too."

Ichigo decided to walk her back to her quarters. He wasn't quite sure why he would do so being that the Seireitei was pretty safe, and Momo was able to take care of herself.

In silence they walked until they reached Momo's chambers. She again turned to him, smiling and thanking him for the late night talk. Ichigo found himself entranced in the fact that her hair was glistening in the moonlight, and that for once, her eyes shined in amusement. It made him grin in return, and he found himself suppressing the urge to reach out and play with her hair. Giving into the urge, he reached out and played with a tendril, watching it play against his fingers.

Momo found herself looking into his eyes as he did so. Another blush threatened to creep up on her skin as he pulled his hand back.

"Sorry." He said, his tone lowered, "G'night Hinamori."

"Goodnight Kurosaki-kun."

Ichigo smirked once more before turning around and walking the opposite direction. He heard Momo open her fusuma and shutting it, and caught himself letting out a breath. He stopped walking for a moment and stood, looking up at the moon, his mind racing after the slip-up he just made. It was eating him inside but the truth was the truth, and Renji-the stupid bastard-was right. He wasn't desperately in love, but he felt something, that was for sure. His actions were a little odd and it unnerved him because usually he didn't show emotion to any female. He didn't show emotion to anyone for that matter. Of course with Rukia it was easier being that Rukia was for lack of a better word a bitch. So to cover up actually was simple because even if you held a romantic interest in the girl, it was easy to show distaste because Rukia could be overwhelming at times.

He hadn't come to the Fifth division prepared to fall for his lieutenant. Then again, the happenings in his life that came along he was never prepared for.

Thoughts of his mother loomed in his mind. He hadn't dreamt of the night she was killed, but instead, he dreamt of a happier time. One where they'd been holding hands and she stared into her eyes filled with love. He'd woken up with his heart filled with longing for the woman he lost, due to his gift, which in that case he deemed a curse.

Returning to his quarters, he thought of the fact that running into Momo calmed his own troubles that he hadn't even delved into much with her. Thinking deeper within himself and his interest for the woman, he was unsure of whether he wanted to pursue Momo in the first place. He found every reason under the sun not to. His name however, was Ichigo Kurosaki, and the fact of the matter was the he was a stubborn being. This time however, even his stubbornness wavered under the fact that he was treading dangerous waters regarding Momo. His heart was in the balance. Saving the world was one matter. You saved somebody else from imminent danger. Saving yourself was different. Especially when your heart is broken.

--

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews! They're well appreciated. I hope to see more. (Pwease? LoL) I see many people like this story. Not sure what it'll do for the pairing, but I'm glad to see people enjoying it. Until next time people.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Unohana regarded Momo as she walked in, her gait timid as usual, but all so her. She was again getting ready to have another session with the young lieutenant, to help her along her healing process. Without needing permission from the soutaicho, Unohana took the initiative to take in the three wounded lieutenants and speak to them on a weekly basis. Ever since the moment she saw Hinamori tipping the edge of death from Aizen's sword, and taking everything into account once the arrogant man laid his cards on the table, it pained her to see the three who were close to the treacherous Captains suffer. Hinamori struck her the worst, being that her innocence was forever tainted. The older woman knew she was making progress, as far as her mind. Her heart, however, was a different matter.

"How are you feeling today fukutaicho?" Unohana started,

It was the same way she started her sessions with Hinamori. She didn't know why, and she couldn't put a finger on it. She figured it was her personal interest.

"I'm doing fine." She said, with a small grin,

"How was your first day with the new Taicho?"

Momo smiled a little, "A little rough, but it seems like we're getting there."

Unohana smiled back, her mind churning despite the placidness on her face. She caught the faint blush underneath Hinamori's pale skin. Soul Society's own gifted healer wondered what that could possibly mean, that being a reaction she hadn't seen before in all of the sessions she'd attended with her.

"Explain."

"Well, he sent a recruit to the Fourth, as you probably know of."

Unohana raised an eyebrow. Isane reported the incident to her, but because she'd been dealing with another emergency, hadn't gone through the pains to actually listen.

"Ah. Continue."

"Well." Momo breathed in, "This guy heckled me, and before I could let well enough be well enough, Kurosaki-kun grabbed him up and…almost beat him up."

Unohana chuckled a little bit. It almost reminded her of the day Zaraki had sent almost twenty men to the fourth division over something similar. Of course, her Kenpachi was worse off than Ichigo, but she had the feeling that the idea was the same. The difference between the two men though was that Ichigo will not admit his reasons for hurting the poor guy. That was also, if Unohana was on the right track. She was rarely wrong about anything, and she had a strong feeling about what she was hearing.

"Did he? I hope you told him not to make a practice of it."

Of course, Restu only said that much for form. She was pleased however when Momo nodded dutifully.

"Yes, I did. I couldn't take him beating up someone for my sake, even if the man said some nasty things."

"Not even a little bit?"

"Maybe a little. I found it very sweet that he wanted to defend my honor."

Unohana almost smirked, and caught herself. Momo had blushed again. She made a mental note to question Isane on everything she may have missed while she was busy. Little would she know that if she'd paid a bit more attention during the party that was only two nights ago, she would've caught the attraction immediately, and deemed it a raw one.

"But, Taicho, I have to express something that's been bothering me."

Unohana nodded, prodding her to go on, when the conversation had taken a turn for the morbid side.

"I had another nightmare about Aizen again. It's tearing me apart."

Momo's voice cracked, signaling to Retsu that she was about to break down into tears. Grabbing the tissue box, she waited, and wasn't surprised when tears started to stream down her face. It wasn't new, but it didn't stop the older woman's heart from breaking at such a scene.

"I know he's dead, and that he can't come back and hurt me. But honestly, sometimes it feels like he'd done more damage to me being dead, than being alive…I don't know what to do really."

Retsu sighed, "You live Hinamori. You live your life the best that you can and you allow him to die. He won't die today, and possibly not tomorrow, but he will eventually fade away until there's nothing left."

"I feel so weak. The man that my Taicho sent here yesterday had hurt me, but I didn't want to show it. I don't know if I've gotten good at hiding how I really feel, but as Taicho didn't realize, then I guess I'm okay. But I was more than glad that he put him in his place. I'm not so weak that I'll fall for any man."

Unohana raised her eyebrow, and questioned what the man actually said to her. When Momo answered, she simpered just a little.

"Fukutaicho, you don't know when a man is coming onto you?"

"They seemed rather nasty about it, so I wouldn't know."

"Yes. That's how some men come onto women, when they don't know how. Do you not take pride in your beauty?"

"I haven't had the time to take pride in my beauty."

Momo found herself feeling like she was under a light, although in a sense she knew she was. Ever since the moment she'd opened her eyes after being stabbed by Aizen she was under a light. People never knew quite how to approach her, let alone interact with her. She still wondered what her looks had anything to do with her whole of self. She looked the same as she had all the time. Her problems didn't lie in her appearance, but it lied in the fact that her own squad didn't trust her to command them anymore.

"It seems that at this point in your life, you'd want to pay more attention to you. And I know you're probably thinking that's menial, but you really should. Don't pay attention to those idiots in your squad. If they favor serving as a shinigami, they'll keep their mouths shut and follow your lead. If they have enough heart, they'll be more of a help instead of a hindrance."

"I understand, but in this case, I don't believe any man was coming onto me. And, I don't know how paying attention to myself or my needs will make things better with my squad."

"Well, I say this to say to pay no attention to what they think. Men like that are all over the Seireitei. If your mind is focused on what they think, you'll never leave your quarters in the morning."

Momo sighed. She had a point.

"So lieutenant, try and take it in stride. You've been through much worse, and you've recovered very well."

Momo smiled a little. Again, she had a point.

"Hinamori, you'll be fine. It just takes time."

Momo nodded, taking the older woman's warm words in, feeling better about the situation. She knew it would take time. The thing that bothered her was that it seemed to be taking too much time. Either way, time was something you couldn't fight or else you'd suffer the consequences. Knowing that fact for herself, it still hadn't comforted Hinamori. She wondered if it ever would.

--

Toshiro listened to the sound of his pen scratching the paperweight on his desk, wondering what kind of mad man trained to attain captaincy, just so he could sign his name all day long. The other sound of Rangiku humming a tune was starting to bear on his nerve as it reached his conscience. He decided he would ignore her, but that hadn't kept the young captain from glancing at the woman from across the room, luminous dark blond hair catching the sunlight. He wondered just how soft her skin was, as well as how lush her lips would be if he ever decided to kiss her. That was until he mentally cursed inside of his mind and slowly but surely pulled himself out of that line of thinking.

"Matsumoto. Silence yourself and continue to work. You've done plenty of your paperwork for once, and its making me believe something is very wrong today."

"Nothing's wrong today Taicho. I'm just way too bored and I can't sleep. Did I say you look rather cute today?"

He blushed before he could stop himself. It was a wonder to him that she could say the same things everyday but it never failed to get to him. The ice around his heart melted little by little when it came to his lieutenant. Toshiro hated to admit it, but her loyalty to him was very strong, not to mention that her attraction to him was equal that if not more. Rangiku was beautiful to add, and not only because of her apparent physical features, but also because of her strength. In his eyes, being that he loved and cared for Hinamori so much, Rangiku embodied everything that she wasn't. If he so chose to be with the woman he couldn't say he didn't knew exactly what came with her. Toshiro knew the pros and the cons, and weighed them everyday although Rangiku would never tell by his almost stoic, frozen regard towards her.

"No. My cuteness isn't getting the paperwork done. Finish off the rest and I'll give you the rest of the afternoon off."

Rangiku raised an eyebrow at the offer, and found she couldn't deny it if it meant her sleeping in her bed and sleeping the rest of the afternoon away. However, an idea formed and seeing that it was a perfect opportunity to take her Captain away from work and pick at his brain. That's if he agreed to go along with her request.

"That's only if you'll have lunch with me in the courtyard. It's a beautiful day…you should relax awhile."

"No."

"Please?"

If Toshiro had known who the cartoon character Kim Possible was, he would've compared the pout on her face to the aforementioned. Rangiku pouting her lips did him in each time, and he couldn't help but to comply each time she wanted something from him. That was one of the cons of being with her.

"Yes. I'll join you." He gratingly said, sulking a little himself,

"Ah Taicho! We're going to have so much fun, you'll see."

She winked at him, and his body heated from the thoughts that crossed his mind. Blocking Rangiku out of his heart wasn't going to be easy. He was going to try his damndest to keep his feelings at bay. No matter how much of a good thing she was, the last thing he needed was Rangiku to break him down completely.

--

In about another half an hour the pair found themselves in the courtyard. They'd talk somewhat companionably. The weather had been the topic of discussion for quite awhile and honestly, it made Toshiro nervous. That was until they slipped into a comfortable silence. Toshiro, in any other situation would've felt the calm before the storm. He should've known simply because silence and Rangiku never existed in the same sentence.

In the distance, Momo and Ichigo were seen walking side by side together companionably. The smile that was on her face almost made her whole being glow. Seeing this, Toshiro found old feelings erupt inside of him.

"Don't they make a lovely pair?" Rangiku asked, "There's rumors already going around that something happened the night of the party."

"Feh. That's none of my concern."

"One of your oldest friends isn't your concern? You dragged me throughout all of Seireitei to save her, and now you could care less?"

"Yes. Let's keep it at that Matsumoto."

Silence followed. It didn't last for long when Rangiku stood, her height towering him as she looked down at Toshiro's face, and into his eyes.

"It's been quite awhile now Taicho. You've been friends with that woman for centuries, and in my honest opinion your turn for romance with her was long over."

"This has nothing to do with romance Matsu-"

"-And honestly, how blind does one have to be not to realize that I've been in love with you for the longest?"

Toshiro felt the wind being knocked out of his lungs. That was the last thing he was expecting. In hindsight, he would've expected a fight about Hinamori and why he was dead set on ignoring her existence. He also would've expected Rangiku to push at him until he snapped. A confession however, was the very last thing he was expecting.

Silence hung thick in the air, Toshiro looking into the smoky eyes of his subordinate, seeing the angry passion that radiated from within. Her zanpakuto reflected her persona in everyway. She literally pounced on him, and he was for once speechless.

Toshiro stood as well, opened, and closed his mouth. When he finally found the words to say, Matsumoto had disappeared. He cursed, and plopped back down again, like the child he still was in most ways. He cursed himself, and he cursed Momo for his luck. That was when he looked back up, and noted the almost serene look on her face as she and Kurosaki passed by.

Toshiro bristled with annoyance and flash stepped away. It seemed that even when he wasn't speaking to her that Hinamori caused him many of his problems. He held back the urge to curse, seeing if he could find his lieutenant. It was bad enough that it was tough to pin her down when she was just hiding from him. Now that she was upset with him, he knew it'd take him even longer to find her. That wasn't the biggest problem on his hands however. The problem lied in when he found her.

--

"What do you think is going on over there?"

Ichigo asked, but was only half interested in the surroundings around them. He only noticed Toshiro and Rangiku's presence when Momo pointed them out. His interest piqued a little bit more when they saw Rangiku stand up in a huff and then disappeared.

"I don't really know. Toshiro and I haven't spoken since I've come to." Hinamori answered, wondering what happened herself,

"Why is that? Weren't you friends?"

"Yes, at one time, childhood friends. He was like my little brother…basically my protector for as long as I knew."

"That so?" Ichigo questioned, "So why is he upset with you now?"

"Aizen."

Although the weather was beautiful outside, with blue skies and a soft breeze, Ichigo felt the chill when Hinamori spoke his name.

"How could Aizen ruin your friendship with your best friend?"

"Because I begged him to save the very man that betrayed all of the Seireitei and tried to kill him. It was like me spitting in his face."

"Feh. Tell him to get over it." Ichigo said, "It was an honest mistake, and you were going crazy."

"Kurosaki-kun. I don't take well to being told that…"

"Well, you were." Ichigo said, "Why be ashamed of it?"

"Because I fell under pressure. Look, I just walked out of a therapy session. I don't want to talk about this anymore."

The two fell silent for the first time since they started talking. The conversation had been light, but comfortable. A mention of Toshiro had suddenly darkened the mood between the two. Ichigo noticed this and sighed, knowing it was his own fault that the mood changed.

"Look, Hinamori…"

"Hai Taicho?" she answered,

Ichigo smirked, deciding not to be annoyed that she'd referred to him in the formal. He took his hand and ruffled her hair a little, causing Hinamori to giggle a little bit. She swapped his hand away and told him to stop in the smallest voice possible. Ichigo grinned again, seeing that he was forgiven.

"Why do you wear your hair up like that?" Ichigo questioned,

"Should I wear it down?"

Ichigo shrugged, "Don't change anything on my account. I don't care."

Hinamori grinned a little bit, not taking his noncommittal tone as offensive. Most other people would've.

"Well, I wear it up because it gets me out in the field within half an hour. Especially if it's been a long night with paperwork."

Ichigo smirked. It was well established between the two that he was horrible with paperwork. In his mind, at least he attempted to do it. His strength as a Captain was better put to work whipping his squad into shape though, not filling out mind numbing amounts of paperwork. He still didn't understand its significance.

"I see." He said, "I'm pretty bored. It's almost after work hours, and I think Renji's having a bachelor party."

Hinamori hummed a little bit, "I assume you're joining them?"

Ichigo chuckled, thinking of the loud menace that became his friend, "I have no choice."

"I hope you have fun then." Hinamori said, "Don't get too drunk."

Ichigo grunted, while they walked silently throughout the rest of Seireitei. Hinamori overheard the whispers that followed her and inwardly cringed. She tried to block them out but she was hearing them loud and clear as if they'd been speaking in louder tones.

"_I hear that they're messing around. What about you?"_

"_Yeah, seems like she got over Aizen pretty fast."_

"_She probably begged him to bed her. I couldn't see anybody going to bed with her willingly."_

Ichigo oblivious to the comments, talked on and on as if he wasn't the object of everyone's conversation. Hinamori wasn't sure whether it was because he didn't know or if it was because he 

didn't care. She was thankful all the same he didn't hear. It would've made things even more awkward than they became a few seconds earlier.

Her suspicions that he hadn't heard were proven wrong when suddenly his reiatsu filled the perimeter they were walking through, making the death warriors, most of whom were lower level, fall to their knees and choke, begging for air to breathe. Hinamori had almost given way herself, standing strong to hold her dignity.

When Ichigo powered down, Hinamori sighed with relief and looked up at her Captain, an eyebrow raised in question. She opened her mouth to scold him again, but he cut her to the quick saying,

"I didn't send anybody to the Fourth, so cut me a break."

A smirk crossed her features and Hinamori decided to this time cut him a break. They did deserve it, since the last comment was malicious. She tried to remind herself not to allow him to make it a habit to punish people whenever they make snide remarks. The one thing she knew was that people would always talk. You had to chalk it up and move on.

"This time Kurosaki-kun…"

"Hey, we cut a deal. You either deal with them, or I will."

Hinamori snorted. "I'm not such a weakling that I can't take a couple of insults thrown my way."

"Are we going to have this argument again?" Ichigo questioned, "Should we settle this once and for all?"

"There's nothing to settle Taicho."

"There will be if you call me that again."

Hinamori looked up, blushing under his gaze when they both stopped to regard each other. She turned away as quickly as she looked up, wondering why she was acting like a foolish school girl.

"Hai Taicho." She said, her thoughts leaving her mouth on autopilot. Hearing Ichigo's low growl, made her snap out of it, when she began blubbering apologetically,

"I'm sorry! I really wasn't thinking that time."

Ichigo chuckled. He knew he had to get over himself being that his title was Captain, but the fact of the matter was that titles hardly mattered to him. What did was that he was in charge, but he it wasn't in him to pull rank on anybody…unless it was Renji.

The two walked on in silence, Ichigo again thinking that he was getting reckless in his protectiveness against a person he hardly knew. He shrugged it off, thinking it would pass. Hinamori was right. She could take care of herself. One day she would. Ichigo hoped it was sooner rather than later.

--


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note: Please, please, please a thousand times PLEASE forgive me! Life has thrown me curve balls and such and I almost couldn't get into writing or updating this story. I just finished having my second child and time has escaped me. Anyway, I seem to be faltering a little with this story so I'll update as I can. I don't want everybody to expect updates coming in fast though. I just started getting into Bleach again so my writing will come as inspiration does. Either way, enjoy and let me know if I'm messing anything up (nicely please!). But yes, read and enjoy.

---

Chapter Six

The night sky illuminated the couple as they lay in bed together. Kenpachi's fingers twirled in Retsu's hair, set free earlier so he could watch her in all her vulnerable beauty. The quiet beauty possessed a strength that was almost scary. But he was Zaraki Kenpachi, and he backed down from no one. Of course that same resilience was why he fell in love with her instead.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked,

Retsu looked at him shocked, "Why do you ask?"

"Because, you would've been peeling away at my mind by now, and now I'm nervous because you're quiet. That means you're thinking of something fucked up."

"Actually, I was thinking of a way for Kurosaki Taicho and Hinamori fukutaicho to get together."

"What are you, hanging with Yachiru?"

Retsu giggled a little, "No Kenpachi. Actually, I was thinking that you can help me."

"Fuck no!" he almost bellowed,

"Language Ken…"

"Fuck that!" he spat, "You're not putting me in some matchmaker type of shit. I only care about fighting and fucking you on occasion…lots of them. Why make my life complicated with all of this love shit going around?"

"So you don't love me?"

"I didn't say that." Zaraki spat, "Stop putting words in my mouth and go to sleep woman."

"Not until you agree to help."

"Get the brat to help. I'm not in it."

It'd gotten quiet, and that made Zaraki twitch just a little more. He hated when she did that. She wasn't like other women that would argue with a man. She always knew just how to get her way with him. Everything that worked in the Fourth Division's walls during his appointments worked just as effectively in their romantic situation. However, the real reason was because he, Zaraki Kenpachi was in love, and no matter how many times he would say no, the answer would become the opposite.

"You make me sick." He muttered,

He pulled her closer to him in the bed, making the woman under him sigh almost inaudibly. She wondered if he could see the smile on her face.

"Yet you haven't gotten rid of me."

Zaraki smirked, "I never will."

---

Renji found that he was ready to kill himself. Rukia had gone off into a rampage over flowers. It was bad enough that he had to give the Captain Commander his decision in a couple of hours. It was also bad enough that his own Captain had almost lectured him to death about what would happen to him if his sister was unhappy-as if she might not send him to an early grave first-and such other changes his life will incur once this union was made. Once upon a time, marrying Rukia wouldn't have caused this much trouble. Now he had to uphold the pride of the Kuchiki clan and such other nonsense. Upon asking for his mentor's advice on whether he should attain Captaincy, Byakuya answered in the positive.

"_Of course, you have yet to flawlessly wield your bankai, but otherwise, I don't see other obvious reasons you should say no._"

Renji did.

He was seeing stars as he found himself face up on the cold hard floor of his quarters. The one he would vacate as soon as he was married. It seemed nothing in his life was ever permanent.

"You're not paying attention!"

Renji sighed, letting anger pass for the time being. He didn't feel like fighting his fiancé. He didn't even feel like thinking at the moment, let alone talking about wedding arrangements.

"Yes, I was. I just stopped." He replied, rubbing the side of his face where the pain was seeping through his awareness.

Renji sat up, looking dead on at Rukia's glare, "Why are you stressing this so much anyway? We're going to get married, and we're going to screw each other's brains out. What more do you want?"

"I want my wedding to be perfect Renji." She said, "You do know, this is like, the biggest thing that's happened to us since, joining Soul Society."

"Is it? I mean, I almost died twice since you meeting Kurosaki. You almost died since meeting Kurosaki. You almost died…"

"I get it Renji. I mean, we're getting married. I just want the day to be perfect because we can't repeat it. I've never had a day that was just perfect."

"So the day we said we loved each other and don't want to let go wasn't perfect enough? What are you just stupid?"

"No baka! I'm…I'm saying that I just want the day to go right."

"I'm thinking of the days after the wedding. I want those days to be perfect."

Rukia opened her mouth to cut him off, but was silenced with a menacing glare from Renji. She would've returned one of her own, except that she felt that what he wanted to say would forever rest between his mind and his lips if he didn't get it out.

"I don't give a fuck about appearances. You know that. Everything seems to be an appearance lately. What are you trying to prove by all this frilly shit anyway? Our relationship has never been frilly. Why do you suddenly want that? Make me understand."

"It's not anything that symbolizes us." Rukia said, "It's just that I can have it. I've never had something that was worth celebrating. Something that was very special for me. It's just that you have to suffer at the hands of it."

The first part of her answer almost made him melt. The latter end of it stopped him from doing so. He was just seeing that Rukia was being a spoiled brat, but it was fine by him.

Looking down at her though, he couldn't help but get taken in that ragged beauty that was her. In those big violent eyes he could see himself drowning deeper and deeper in love. He didn't even know he could fall deeper.

On impulse, he snatched her up and kissed her, throwing her against the wall, thinking to himself that he was a little rough, but figured Rukia didn't care. They were both rough around the edges, being two brats that came out of the Rukongai. Now they were about to get married. He was about to become nobility and was about to accept the offer to promote his rank to as high as it was going to go.

The kiss ended with both parties out of breath. Renji could see the need in her eyes, and then decided to gather his payback at that moment, since he should be on his way to the Captain-General.

"I'm leaving now."

"Leaving? How could you…"

"Meeting…Captain-General. Accepting Captaincy."

Renji pulled away, leaving Rukia sulking where she stood. He knew he'd pay for that later, but at the moment, revenge was too damn sweet. In either case, he couldn't leave her that high and dry.

"Choose red and yellow roses." He said, "That's pretty much us."

Shutting the door behind him, Rukia smirked. It was sweet that he pretty much solved her problem, but she was still getting him back later on.

---

Toshiro was getting disgusted. It'd been a week since the big blowout, and Rangiku was hardly giving an inch about the whole situation. He wondered how long she was going to keep the façade up. On the upside, paperwork was getting done. There was silence in the office, but that wasn't an upside. Honestly, it grated his nerves worse than her incessant chattering about nothing. He missed quite a few other things. He thought to himself if he would give his soul to see the woman happy.

"I'm going to transfer to another division."

Toshiro snapped his head over towards Matsumoto, shocked because of the fact that he'd heard her voice in the first time in days. The words she uttered also threw him off balance.

"Transfer? For what?"

Matsumoto looked at his face for the first time in days, shame written all over them. "On a professional note-"

"-You've been nothing but professional since we've met Rangiku." Toshiro snapped, "Why say anything on a professional note when this is clearly personal?"

He stood, walking over to her desk, and placing both hands on it, "Why haven't you looked me in my face for the past week?"

He cursed himself inwardly for even asking the question. It was quite strange for him to go that far, but screw it. He was at his wits end.

"I embarrassed myself. I thought you cared about me the way I cared about you…I love you Captain. I fell in love, and I'm sorry. I thought that one day you'd just come along and want to be with me. Maybe I read you wrong. I thought…it doesn't matter. I'm resigning so as to keep us from bumbling around the other."

Silence permeated the room. Toshiro found himself out of his element, and that was rare for the prodigy as he was rarely ever out of his element. That seemed to be happening more often than not lately, and it seemed Matsumoto Rangiku was the cause more often than not. If he didn't love her, he knew for sure he could do nothing else but hate her. Just as this moment was causing him confusion on whether he did love or hate her, as frustrated anger coursed through his veins.

Toshiro leaned so close to Rangiku's face that there was hardly an inch of space left between them. Anger shone brightly in his teal orbs, when he opened his mouth.

"I'll be damned if I let you leave."

Rangiku, for the life of her, wasn't sure whether to be upset or not at that admission. She knew she couldn't deny that her heart palpitated more than normal at the proximity of her Captain's lips from hers. She couldn't deny that her palms were sweaty, and that her hands itched to run themselves through his hair. It was ridiculous but love didn't stop her from being attracted to the boy, even if he didn't feel the same way. The only problem was which route to take? She could swallow her pride and go on with life, or she could be the same big-as-life personality she always been, and leave with a dramatic exit.

Of course, she was taking the dramatic way out.

"Captain, with all due respect, I've taken care of myself, and damning yourself of my leaving isn't going to stop me. Now, let me move on with my life so that you can move on with yours."

With almost a flourish, she stood up, causing Toshiro to tip backwards a little. Before Rangiku made it to the door, Toshiro was in front of it, blocking her from exiting.

"Captain…"

"You were wrong."

Rangiku was left to scratch her head in confusion, "About what?"

"I'm not interested in romance with Momo. I loved her, as a brother loves his sister. I ran all through out the Seireitei trying to save her life. You were right about that. I dragged you along because I knew something wasn't right from the beginning. To end up seeing Aizen stab her through the chest…I couldn't take it."

"Captain-"

"-Let me finish before I lose my nerve!" he snapped, "I watched Momo transition from a strong admiration, to a small school girl crush, to love. She was so deep in love with that man that she asked me to save his very life. This was after he stabbed her through the chest, and left her for dead. I wanted to spit on her for that. How dare she ask me to save that bastard's life! How dare she!"

The room reverberated with his tone raising. Rangiku felt the temperature change, the cold starting to seep into her bones. She placed her hands on his shoulders. She didn't understand what the story had to do with her though. That's what she was trying to figure out. At least she was getting more insight to his feelings concerning Hinamori.

"Captain. Calm down a little bit. It's getting cold in here."

The room started returning to regular room temperature, bit by bit. Toshiro stared Matsumoto in her crystal eyes and sighed. He lost himself for a moment there. Looking into her eyes still, Toshiro made the move to lose him self even more.

"I love you Rangiku." He said, "I have for a long time."

She wasn't sure whether she gasped or not. The admission should've been enough to make her faint, but she would contain her composure. Besides, this was the moment she'd been waiting for. The events leading to it weren't ideal, but it came anyway.

"So what stopped you from telling me before?" she questioned, and Toshiro smirked a little,

"I don't want to be hurt by anybody else."

It was Rangiku's turn to be insulted, "Captain, I've always been the playful sort. It's common knowledge. I'm lazy. I'm somewhat annoying…"

"Somewhat?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, making the older woman smirk,

"Yes. You would've gotten rid of me already. But, I know when not to play around. I don't play around on the battlefield, and I won't play around with your heart. I know what it means to have your heart broken as well."

He saw the quick flash of pain in her eyes and remembered she'd lost her old friend. Gin was many things to Rangiku. Their long time friendship was destroyed upon finding out he was the traitor. She'd taken his life…and Toshiro believed it was her way to saying goodbye.

"I know." He'd said quietly, "And I'm sorry that I've been selfish."

"I'm sorry that I was a little emotional."

Actually, Rangiku found she wasn't. Her Captain was an amazing person. He was the youngest Captain for years before Ichigo bum rushed his way into everyone's lives. He was acclaimed a genius. But even geniuses had stupid moments. Though she took a route she hadn't wanted to, Rangiku found she'd reached the goal she wanted. And that was to make the irritable, sometimes cranky, other times stiff Captain of the Tenth division hers.

"We've just spent the last hour of work fighting about this…we'd better call it a day." Toshiro said, sighing a little bit,

Rangiku squealed and grabbed Toshiro into a crushing hug, "That's the sweetest words that could've parted your lips today!"

"I just told you I loved you, and the fact that you don't have to work is the sweetest thing I've said?"

Rangiku let him go, and scratched her head as in deep thought. A moment later she looked down at her Captain with a grin.

"Actually, it's hard to choose which one was the sweetest."

A chuckle actually escaped his lips and before he knew it, Toshiro grabbed Rangiku and placed his mouth on top of hers. They were an odd pair, but sometimes he found, odd was just right up his alley. As long as she didn't hurt him, he felt he could get used to Rangiku and everything odd about her.

---

It was five o'clock, and Hinamori was still working. She scribbled endlessly on each report. She was in the zone as far as her paperwork was considered. She'd just finished correcting Ichigo's while the young warrior snored soundly on his desk, a river of drool trailing downwards his face. Hinamori didn't even want to count the difference in age next to hers. She had centuries on him. Even Toshiro had a couple of decades or so over him. She wondered why it was possible that a sixteen year old boy caught her very interest, and why she wondered why he wore that scowl on his face on a regular basis. She wondered about his past life before he became a soul reaper. She wondered many a thing, while she scribbled her last name and rank continuously on endless documents.

Momo's head snapped up when she heard a groan being heard. She looked over to see Ichigo sitting up, wiping his face off.

"What time is it?" he muttered, "Kuso. Five fifteen?"

"Hai Kurosaki-kun. You knocked out at about four thirty."

"You should've yelled for me to wake up."

Ichigo sat up, and looked over at his vice-captain. He smirked at her grunt and the snide remark that followed it.

"Nothing can wake you when you're sleeping."

Momo found that when Ichigo was bored and inactive, sleep overtook his being unless roused by any sign of action. Taking Rukia's advice on the fly one day when she stopped by for tea, she rapped him on the back of the head. She wasn't as headstrong as Rukia to argue with him however, which led to Ichigo apologizing for sleeping in the first place. After the first time she decided she would let her Captain sleep and just finish as much work as she could. Besides, he was eerily terrible at paperwork. Kyoraku had to be better at it, and he didn't attempt to do his paperwork at all.

"The bump on the back of my head is proof that you found a way actually."

"It was a last resort, and I promised I wouldn't do it again."

"Whatever." He said, "You should check out now though. Shift's over."

"I'm almost finished Taicho." She said, scribbling away, "One more paper."

"Hurry up already. You should run off and do something girly, like shopping. Maybe do something to your hair."

Momo raised an eyebrow and paused scribbling her name that last time, to catch the smirk on his face. She recounted their conversation on her hair before. And even the prior one with Unohana.

"Why is everybody telling me to get my hair done?"

"Che. I could care less what you do. I just feel that it's a sin to work after shift's over. I used to kill to rush home after my father cut me loose."

"Well, Kurosaki-kun, I'm finished for the day."

Hinamori stood up, files in hand. She regarded Ichigo with a glare, trying to understand why she was upset. Momo was realizing that his apathy was slowly but surely getting on her nerves. One thing she couldn't stand was a man that could only express that he didn't care for things in life. She found it to be disgustingly opposite of what he really was and what he embodied. That wasn't the only reason that she was upset.

Ichigo watched her walk out and found himself confused as well. He didn't mean to appear apathetic, it was just simply the way he was. Whether she went straight home to read a book or to try to pass out drunk was none of his business. He just wanted to return to his own quarters and fall back asleep. It started to irk him that he hurt her feelings.

"Hinamori…I'm sorry." Ichigo said,

Hinamori shrugged her shoulders, "No apology necessary Taicho. You don't have to be engaged in my personal life."

Hinamori was walking towards the door when Ichigo beat her to it, blocking her pathway. Looking down at her dainty features he wondered how she ever made it to the rank that she was. He pictured her being one of the many maids living in court under the Kuchiki clan. Ichigo pictured her walking around in a kimono all day, just looking pretty rather than having to get her hands dirty in battle. He couldn't picture the same stalwart woman falling desperately in love with a man who would cold bloodedly leave her for dead.

Under his glare, Momo found herself quavering and hoping that he didn't notice. She hoped that he didn't notice that his proximity was affecting her in the worst way and that it embarrassed her.

"Look, I'm sorry. You have to excuse me. I'm used to having these conversations with Rukia and I'm seeing day by day that you're nothing like her."

Momo raised an eyebrow and opened her mouth to ask him what he meant. He chuckled and looked at her.

"I'm not trying to say you're weak. You're just…not rough around the edges like she is. And you're nicer to look at."

Momo bit down the giggle that tried to rise in her throat but knew she couldn't stop the blood from flowing to her cheeks.

"Nicer to look at?" Hinamori questioned,

He shrugged, "Yeah. Rukia's pushy as shit. But anyway, I see that you're not Rukia and I'll try not to be an asshole every time I answer questions you ask. Fair enough?"

Momo chuckled, "Thanks for the compliment, but I won't crack and fall to pieces every time you act like you don't care about everything."

Ichigo snorted, "Like you did a couple of seconds ago."

He slid back the fusuma and the two companionably walked towards Momo's quarters. People looked on from everywhere watching the twosome walk. Neither of them thought about the fact that more rumors would ensue.

"Hey! I was about to go on my merry way and take a nap." Momo said, "I'm tired too! Considering its been a long day and I do more work than you anyway."

"Feh." Ichigo said, "I'll get the paperwork right one day. I've had enough of doing it back home."

For a second Ichigo missed his sisters and the tidy life they held back in Karakura. He almost missed Kon. But he was there to serve for the army he's helped on many occasions. He also was searching for the mother who was stripped from life so long ago. Whether he would find her or not was debatable. He wouldn't give up until he'd turned all of Soul Society up and down looking for her.

"I believe you will Kurosaki-kun." Momo said, as they stopped at her quarters,

Ichigo looked down at her and grinned, admitting to himself that he loved Momo's optimism. He wanted to get to know her without all the frills. There was a reason she and Toshiro was so close. It couldn't be because she looked at the bright side of everything. He'd find out sooner or later though.

"Thanks." He said, "Have a good night."

Momo nodded, "I will. Goodnight Taicho."

Ichigo walked away with a nod, not bothering to correct her. His mind was filled with the hope that she'd come to work with her hair down instead of entrapped within her usual bun. He might not stop looking at her.

---


End file.
